Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A young girl was trudging along a mountain path, trying to reach her grandmother's house. It was bitter cold, and the wind cut like a knife. When she was within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet.

Looking down, she saw a snake. Before she could move, the snake spoke to her. He said, "I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please put me under your coat and take me with you."

"No," replied the girl. "I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous."

"No, no," said the snake. "If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently."

The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over. She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had to admit that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen.

Suddenly, she said, "I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to be treated with kindness."

The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her coat and proceeded toward her grandmother's house.

Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her.

"How could you do this to me?" she cried. "You promised that you would not bite me, and I trusted you!"

"You knew what I was when you picked me up," hissed the snake as he slithered away.

(course in my version the man/woman/child then uses her last bits of strength to beat/stomp the crap out of the snake before she dies...saying if I gotta go so do you......apparently I'm not all that nice)

Here's the musical version of this story.Love this song but not too crazy about the graphics!

On her way to work one morningDown the path along side the lakeA tender hearted woman saw a poor half frozen snakeHis pretty colored skin had been all frosted with the dew"Oh well," she cried, "I'll take you in and I'll take care of you"

Now she wrapped him all cozy in a coverture of silkAnd then laid him by the fireside with some honey and some milk Now she hurried home from work that night as soon as she arrived She found that pretty snake she'd taken to had been revived.

She clutched him to her bosom, "You're so beautiful," she cried"But if I hadn't brought you in, by now you might have died"Now she stroked his pretty skin again and then kissed and held him tight But instead of saying thanks, the snake gave her a vicious bite!

"Now I saved you," cried the womanAnd you've bit me, even why?And you know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die""Ah shut up, silly woman," said that reptile with a grin “Now you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in "

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"It ought to be the rule, rather than the exception, that young children listen to, read, act out, and discuss fairy tales, myths, legends, folklore, heroic adventures, biographies, and stories from history."Ravitch (1987)